Australia’s federal government has expanded its National Renewable Energy Priority List by adding 11 new generation and battery storage projects, according to Energy Storage News (15/07/2026). The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) has stated that the updated Priority List features one new transmission project alongside 11 generation and energy storage projects. These projects were identified in partnership with state and territory governments to accelerate planning and environmental approval procedures for renewable energy infrastructure considered nationally significant.
The latest update comes after 23 projects on the Priority List received the “green light” under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. These projects include 10 transmission projects and 13 generation and storage projects that have either been approved, approved with conditions, or determined not to be controlled actions under the legislation, marking an important milestone towards financial close.
Australia is rapidly expanding its battery storage capacity:
- A few days ago, three large-scale energy storage projects with a combined capacity of 950 MW/3,800 MWh advanced under Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act (KEI, 09/07/2026).
- In late June 2026, the government awarded 15 projects with a combined capacity of 4.2 GW/16.1 GWh under Tender 8 of the Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) (KEI, 26/06/2026).
According to DCCEEW, Australia now ranks third worldwide for both residential and utility-scale battery storage, behind only China and the United States, following the commissioning of 4.4 GW of battery capacity in the year to March and a record 4.3 GW of large-scale battery capacity reaching final investment in 2025.
The deployment of large-scale battery storage projects is preparing the country for the retirement of coal-fired power plants while supporting its goal of sourcing 82% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030.
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